【Hawaii Travel Blog】Hawaii tide pools

July 10, 2016

I didn’t know much about the Hawaii tide pools on Big Island until I read the information booklet our Airbnb host prepared. Turned out, Pahoa (the area where we were staying) has some of the best tide pools in Hawaii – and they are all easily accessible!

Ahalanui Park

Ahalanui is a very special tide pool – it’s thermal heated!

I was ready to jump in but Mike forgot to bring his swimwear.

“What…I thought you put it in the bag together with our goggles…”
“No…I thought you said we were going back home first…”
“I’ll wait for you here, you go swim!”
“No…/_\ (what’s the fun in playing in a tide pool by myself!)”

So I ended up just dipping my feet in the pool for a bit. It really was warm!

Kapoho Tidepools

After we got Mike’s swimwear from our cabin, we decided to check out another tide pool in the area. We picked Kapoho because our host said it’s their favourite tide pools in the area.

Aloha, follow the well-paved roads.

The only access to the tide pools seemed to be through a private compound by foot. We parked our cars outside in the designated area and followed the well-paved roads. After you see this Aloha welcome sign, just keep walking straight.

Follow the signs for the tide pools

Soon, you will see directions on the roads.

No cars allowed. Walk-ins welcome.

I understand the temptation to take shortcuts especially on a hot day, but trespassing is a no-no!

Voila. The tide pools were absolutely beautiful and clear as crystal.

The water was so clear, I could see the fish from up here!

The reef was quite sharp, I would recommend wearing your diving shoes/socks if you have them

Houses near the tide pools

The ponds here were nick-named champagne pools because snorkelling here feels like snorkelling in a chilled glass of champagne. Very poetic.

{Kapok Tidepools}
Facilities: None.
Main feature: Lots of tide pools to choose from.
Where is it: See map below.